Customer Reviews

The Infinite Day (The Lamb among the Stars, Book 3)

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Wonderful book in excellent condition. Christian science-fiction. This book really made me stop and think about all the consequences of our actions and our spirituality. It was very well written, and very thoughtfully written. I wish all Christians could read this series and enjoy the spirit of the Lamb Among The Stars. Not preachy- fun to read, but the philosophy of the universe being all Followers is unique and made me stop and think about my own life.

Incredible. I almost feel that there is no point in reading any other sci-fi book after reading the epic brilliance of Chris Walley in "The Infinite Day." Reading any other book now would be like eating dry stale bread after a ten course meal. It is a shame so many other lesser books and authors are so shamlessly promoted and this epic classic seems to have had none at all. C.S.Lewis sci-fi does not even come close to this groundbreaking, epic, instant clasic. I was at times moved, shocked, affirmed, horrified, excited, anxious, satisfied, elated, triumphant, depressed, angry, disbelieving, challenged, convicted... need I say more (I could). The series was so unpredictable, creative, and exciting. Yet challenging and thought provoking. I think I will read the whole series all over again.

First of all, for those who have found this book, but haven't yet looked at _The Shadow and Night_ and _The Dark Foundations_, please do so now, as they are the first books in the series.

Back? Good.

We see ever more in this book the changes in the people of the Assembly: on Farholme the shift in government from collegial committee to autocracy has culminated in bureaucracy. At the heart of the Assembly, factions flourish, arguments abound, and many are dissatisfied with the person in charge for being too weak to unite people behind him. What I found most interesting, though, were the revelations about the people of the Dominion: just as those of the Assembly never were fully good, those of the Dominion (and the True Freeborn) were not fully evil. So the Assembly when falling looks more and more like normal politics today, the Dominion looks increasingly like something that today's society could turn into, and between them, not even human, is Betafor, provoking questions about the sentience of intelligent machines, the ethics of dealing with them, and the ethics of them dealing with humanity.

Ultimately, this is a story about the societies, about the people in them and the choices they make, about the consequences of those choices. The science fiction setting allows for these subjects to be raised in interesting ways.

For those who want a direct comparison, this series has much better prose and pacing than the _Left Behind_ books, and aside from issues of setting (i.e. the setting is this way, so these events had to happen in history), the theology should not be objectionable at all to those who agree with the theology presented in the _Left Behind_ series.

All in all, a wonderful, thrilling end to a thought-provoking series.

It is rare to see fiction from a writer that has a lot of knowledge of BOTH spirituality and science. Typically, the writer has only a sketchy knowledge of one or the other. Much of Non Christian science fiction displays not only ignorance about spirituality but about basic human nature......especially our inclination towards evil. consider what the "Q" character in Star Trek, the Next Generation, says. He says that humans are the most grudgeless of species, willing to forgive "almost any offense." Picard and the other "good" characters of the show agree with him. To a Christian, heck to anybody who pays the slightest attention to himself and his fellow humans, this is like saying the sky is green with pink poka-dots. It is patently absurd. Traditional science fiction is filled with remarks such as the above. Evil in traditional science fiction nearly always consists of bad social institutions, movements, and the like. Individual evil is simply ignored, misunderstood, or thought unimportant. For example, David Webber's books include individual evil - but with him it is generally a black and white thing. When "good" people do bad things, he seems to think it is the result of ignorance. Once the person aquires the right knowledge, the evil goes away. When a bad person turns good in Webber's world, it is generally a complete, instant transformation. Also, people go from bad to good but never from good to bad. Webber is good at creating credible societies and histories, but his characters are completely unrealistic from a spiritual point of view.

This is not so with Walley's characters. They are rich and are much like what we see in real life. Even without the escatology and the grand space battles, the books could stand on its characters' internal battles alone. The same could not be said of traditional science fiction, or even a great deal of non-Christian literature in general. To truly understand a character, you have to look at his spiritual life(meaning his basic values in life, his loyalty to them, and his beliefs about higher powers such as God). Take all this away and you have a hollow person. It seems to me that this gives Christian writers have a great advantage - their characters tend to have more depth.

On the other hand, much of the speculative fiction we have seen from the Christian community displays an ignorance of science. This is a lesser problem for me. But it is an obstical to evangelism, and it makes for a less rich and believable story. I think that the Lamb Among the Stars series is made more rich because of the author's "day job" as a geology professor. It gives him a uninque perspective not often seen even in secular speculative fiction - there are not many geologists writing sci-fi today.

As for comparisons with the "Left Behind" series, I find it hard to judge since I have only read the first two books in that group. Walley's books have a slower pace since they don't have such a detailed eschatology to explain, and because they more closely follow the individual spiritual lives of their characters. In Walley's world, the great struggle between good and evil occurs mainly in the hearts of individual people. The spiritual battles in Walley's assembly are outward consequences of these struggles. In the "Left Behind" series, all seems to depend on the schedule laid out by the authors' escatological beliefs - as well as on the actions of an elite few. Individual spiritual struggles matter, but not quite as much.

Walley advocates for divine grace through his angelic characters, as is commonly seen in Christian speculative fiction. However, he also explores the implication of salvation by Grace Alone in theology and in the individual spiritual lives of the book's characters. For example, the main character gets angry with God because he doesn't get anything special for risking his own life to save others. Lutherans like me really appreciate this. We believe that a lot of grief has come to the Church by not letting the principle of Grace Alone guide all our thinking about theology and Christian Life.

There are a couple quibbles I have with Walley's theology. It seems to me pretty clear from scripture that only God can read minds, and in his books some demons have that ability. Also, I think his characters should either do more direct evangelism or be rebuked for not doing it. In this story, the "good guys" capture an enemy vessel. The enemy crew does not want to be sent home because they will just be killed. So it is decided to drop them off on a world the enemy believes is uninhabited. Why not give them some bibles, etc? Why doesn't anyone speak to them about Jesus? It would have been very moving if one of the Assembly crew(Luke, possibly) volunteered to go with them to teach them the faith, but this opportunity was missed. This twist would also lend intensity to later spiritual struggles within the Assembly.

Also, I would have liked to see more use of the sacraments - in particular baptism. The first adult baptism in almost 13,000 years would have been a nice touch :). Perhaps this does not happen because Walley wants to avoid distracting the readers with contemporary issues.

I have finally finished reading the grand epic adventure of a lifetime! What a read! At first, I was sorely disappointed in the slowness of the first book. I even put a bad review online! But, The second part captured my attention in huge way. I became engrossed in the innocence of a people never tempted by evil before. The time spent at first on describing the purity of their lives became precious as that purity slipped away! And even though at the end, the characters are doing things they could never have imagined, it still shocks and hurts! Violence is proclaimed to be the terrible, hurting shock that it is. Lying is the dark self-curse that it truly is, not the "lesser" sin. I am in in total awe of this story, Mr. Walley. I must truly give praise to the Maker of our actual Universe for inspiring this story in your soul. For that is what it truly is: inspired. I stayed up late for the first time since I had young babies waking me up early, so I could finish the story! And what an ending! wow. wow. wow. God even spoke to me through some of the events in this book. He said things like "mistakes are not the end of the world, my child. I am ALL Powerful and am fully capable of redeeming your mistakes for my greater glory and even your ultimate benefit!" So. Thank you, Mr. Walley for writing this. And thank your publishers for me, too!

If not, stop whatever else you are doing and get a copy. "The Lamb among the Stars" series is simply some of the best fiction to come along in a while. Walley is a far, far better writer then MOST of the others who are attempting the Genre, and this particular work will stay with you for some time. If you are a parent, your teens will enjoy it as much as you, and give you both plenty to think and talk about. Highly, highly recommended.

The final book in this series was not only well worth the wait....it shows the author's growth as a writer throughout the series. The first book was a slow read, but the profound concept of a sinless world once again having to battle evil made it worth the effort. The pacing picks up in the next and the theology deepens. The final book is a masterpiece of Christian fiction. The author balances multiple plot points, a host of believable characters, and never loses the reader's interest. The battle against evil occurs on many fronts...there's a real enemy to be fought externally but it must be done in community and within each individual human heart. It's beautifully done. Add to that mix the dimensionality of heaven and hell and probably the most
satisfying ending in modern fiction....wow.
Well done, Mr. Walley! May the REAL force be with you!

The Infinite Day is the concluding book in the Lamb Among the Stars series by Chris Walley. The book brilliantly finishes the adventures of Merral D'Avanos and his friends as they battle the return of evil to the universe. Chris Walley is adept at combining science fiction with Christianity. While the Christian worldview is mostly Protestant, as an Eastern Orthodox Christian I found much that resonated with me about how God is and how much He loves us. The Assembly was a wonderful preview of how the Kingdom of God may be acted out. And Jorgio is very much a "fool for Christ." While the book deals with the evil one and his minions, the story is more about how the characters battle the growing evil and corruption within themselves, how they throw that off, and how they continue to struggle to be like Christ. The ending had definite C.S. Lewis overtones--resembling the ending in The Last Battle (Narnia)--where all is revealed and beyond imagining. It was thrilling and brought tears to my eyes. If you enjoy a good tale about the triumph of good over evil with characters that will touch your soul and heart, this series is for you. And it's superb science fiction, too! Highly recommended.

The three books comprising The Lamb Among The Stars are a thrilling ride. And The Infinite Day is a wonderful conclusion.

There is much more to this conclusion than I expected. Mr. Walley has crafted a fine tale that is thrilling, enlightening and uplifting, while also creating some of the most engaging sci fi worlds and settings I have experienced.

Great series, didn't want it to end. One of the best books I've read. I hope he continues to write, I can't believe that he isn't more popular. I am a reformed christian and his portrayal of our fallen race is pretty good. Buy the series, you won't regret it.